There are 2 possibilities here. Choice A is that you have simply have too many devices on your network, and performance will suffer if this is the case even if many devices aren't in use. This is where having a more expensive router pays off. Simply because it is a Linksys or that it has a 5Ghz channel isn't enough to determine if the router is simply handling too many connections.

Choice B is more likely. Since Wifi signals are actually bidirectional, it's more probable that signals from the Roku or laptop aren't strong enough to reach the router, due to their wifi strength and distance from the router. There's unfortunately no way to fix this other than buying a repeater or moving the devices closer to the router. Even buying a better router would likely not solve this problem.

wewantflair wrote:There are 2 possibilities here. Choice A is that you have simply have too many devices on your network, and performance will suffer if this is the case even if many devices aren't in use. This is where having a more expensive router pays off. Simply because it is a Linksys or that it has a 5Ghz channel isn't enough to determine if the router is simply handling too many connections.

Choice B is more likely. Since Wifi signals are actually bidirectional, it's more probable that signals from the Roku or laptop aren't strong enough to reach the router, due to their wifi strength and distance from the router. There's unfortunately no way to fix this other than buying a repeater or moving the devices closer to the router. Even buying a better router would likely not solve this problem.

Choice B sounds very plausible. I have been interested in a repeater but have heard mixed results. I have either heard people have awesome coverage with them or they poo poo them completely, saying they are a joke.

My house has an open floor plan and I cant imagine that strength is an issue, but I definitely could be wrong. All I know....my issue is a personal problem that I have yet to find a true solution for. Reliability is more important than convenience at this time. When I want to watch something....I want to watch it. I dont want lags, freezes, reboots, etc. I just want to sit down and watch.